D A Henderson Head of the WHO programme that eradicated smallpox “I was reading about this guy who showed incredible leadership,” began Hugh, and I knew exactly who he meant. Although Hugh lives near Montreal and I live in London, both of us had locked on to a leadership story about Donald Ainslie Henderson, an … Continued
How can charity leaders develop the capabilities they’ll need in the 2020s? Charity leaders deal with complexity. Charity leaders in the 2020s will find themselves working at the edge of what they know. Many, perhaps, already are. There are no silver leadership bullets, not even donated ones. Which is why charity leaders must be good … Continued
How to construct leadership narratives is likely to be a talking point on the new NCVO programme Charity Leadership in the 2020s that I am co-creating with Rebecca Nestor. Here’s what I’m noticing and thinking as the programme takes shape. If you have been into a gift shop in the last year or so you will probably have … Continued
The backstory Rebecca Nestor, founder of Learning for Good, and I are collaborating with NCVO on a new leadership programme targeted at the next generation of non-profit leaders. The programme has gone live on the NCVO website, and we are meeting the participants for the first time at 5pm on Sunday, 6 November 2016. So, … Continued
Why Maslow doesn’t satisfy real change-makers Years ago, well, towards the end of last century, I ran a training programme for a bunch of environmentalists. They were nearly all young leaders and visionaries who wanted to change the world. And change the world they did, every day, with exceedingly good humour. Beer, biscuits and extra large … Continued
Summer holidays. A time for letting the mind wander from one idea to another, connecting the dots in less automatic ways. This morning, a friend’s 11-year old son told me about his passion for the game of Minecraft. I usually stop truly listening after the seventh zombie or third giant frog, but this time, he was … Continued
Remind me about the 5 Ps? I’m reading a book by a former British Army Officer, Frank Ledwige, about the British Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ledwige is highly critical of the army’s culture and approach. He blames the generals and the politicians for failing to plan for what would happen after the invasion of Iraq. … Continued
I’m sitting on an A380 Super Jumbo. The seatback screen says that we are at 35,000 feet, travelling at 576 miles per hour with almost 6,000 miles still to go. I should be trying to get some sleep. Instead I am idly watching the cabin crew bustle around, clearing away half-eaten meals. For me, this … Continued
What’s new and good in the field of leadership and sustainability? It’s good that Barclays Bank boss, Antony Jenkins, is encouraging his staff to learn from the example of Sister Mary Owens, who cares for children with HIV in Kenya. The essence of good leadership, said Jenkins on BBC Radio, “is about having an impact … Continued
January Taking myself to market This is a blog about how I made the transition from employed to self-employed. According to Dan Pink, to sell is human. So I took myself to market and I sold! I try to sell myself quietly, and I also notice how other people sell themselves to me. One day, after a … Continued